Assault on Talloran (Act I)
The assault on Talloran was a small squad insertion on Ord Mantell led by Colonel Pandoren Blackheart. The mission priority was to recover a cache of weapons, lost in transit on route to Republic High Command Background Colonel Pandoren Blackheart had secured a shipment of Zersium rifles - rifles made from a rare mineral that dissipated the energy of the bolts, allowing greater firepower with less risk to the user. The source of this shipment was kept a close secret, however as the team found out, the ship carrying the RHC stamped crate had stopped responding over Ord Mantell. The crate, however, had been equipped with a homing beacon, that indicated it had been lost in the vicinity of Talloran Village, close to Fort Garnik, on the war torn world of Ord Mantell. Pandoren met with the team, comprising of Private Kim'seshan, and a Trill named Vexxen (a relative of Dr Eskasemm it appeared) outside the starport in Fort Garnik. The Zersium Rifle Pandoren had brought with him an example of the weapon that had been lost. Handing it to Private Seshan, he asked her to test the weapon in a demonstration area specifically set up for this purpose. Seshan fired the rifle, and the team examined the damage. The durasteel crate that was the target had been ray shielded, yet the rifle bolt cut right throug the shielding as though it was not there. Pandoren noted that the armour they wore was made of the same material, and Private Seshan grasped the gravity of the situation immediately. Should this weapon fall into the wrong hands, it would be used to devastating effect against the Republic. A Tactical Insertion With the wherabouts of the rifle known in vague terms, the team set out to Talloran Village. On arrival, they entered a warzone. Republic troops were holding firm at the gates to the village, but no penetration had been made. Assessing the tactical situation, Private Seshan suggested a diversion, and secured the firepower of a nearby Republic Walker to assist with their insertion into the hot zone. With the Walker laying down devastating cover fire, the team raced into the Village, eliminating the outlying guard forces, before taking cover in the doorway of the nearest building. Pandoren looked at the monitor that was providing them with the location of the rifle cache, and noted with some disgust that the signal did not pinpoint the location of the rifles to any degree of accuracy, before crushing the device under his boot. The team would need to go house to house. The Warehouse After clearing two or three houses, the team came across a warehouse, conveniently filled with crates, and Separatist soldiers. Vexxen suggested the use of her stealth field generator to sneak in and examine the crates surreptitiously, a plan that was quickly agreed. Pandoren and Kim'seshan held the warehouse entrance, ready to provide covering fire should the stealth field fail. Initially Vexxen met with success, as the Separitists were unaware of her presence. Unfortunately, they opened fire when Vexxen attempted to pop a Czerka Corporation crate open, startled by the sudden movement of a crate of its own accord. Private Seshan and Colonel Blackheart headed to Vexxen's location quickly, and took care of the Separatist threat. With no luck finding the RHC cache, Private Seshan opened up a safe route out of the warehouse. Ambush in the streets No sooner were the team exiting the warehouse, when a large Separitist force, drawn by the noise of blaster fire, ambushed them outside the warehouse! The team made their way quickly down the street, with Private Seshan bravely covering their retreat out of the north entrance to the village. Breathing heavily, the team regrouped and made their next plan. There was one house left to search, just inside the gate. It was decided that Vexxen would again attempt to sneak into the house undetected, with Pandoren and Kim'seshan entering the Village again once the all clear was given. The word came on the communicator that Vexxen had met no resistance entering the building, at which point Pandoren and Kim'seshan made their way into the village once more. A loud shot rang out from somewhere around them and Pandoren was hit hard in the side. His armour did nothing to stem the rifle bolt, which struck his body, opening up a large wound in his side and knocking him unconscious to the street. Under heavy fire from an unknown sniper, Kim'seshan and Vexxen suffered wounds themselves trying to drag the unconscious body of Pandoren into the relative safety of the nearby building, where rudimentary medical assistance could be delivered. The Colonel briefly came round as they dragged him down some stairs in the building into a safe (if pinned down) location downstairs. "The mission. Stay on the mission", was all he had to say before passing out again. Whilst looking for medical supplies, Private Seshan actually found the crate they had come all this way to find! She tried to lift it and bring it out, but could not do it alone. Calling for help, between the two of them Vexxen and Kim'seshan lifted the crate and began to take it out of the building. Private Seshan looked at Pandoren, and immediately faced a quandary. Should the two women take the rifle cache, as Pandoren had indicated? Or leave it and get their Commander to safety? A quandary indeed. Category:Stories